Seating Chart is D.O.N.E

I'm so happy to be getting things checked off the to-do list! My seating chart has been the biggest headache yet. I have 260 guests and 27 tables...a lot...I know! It has been a nightmare to make everyone happy, but in the end, I just can't make everyone happy and that's just the way it is!

I used Martha Stewart's seating tool on her website, which proved to be the most helpful way for me to do this. I was able to import my guest list and then you just click and drag people to tables. It lets you name tables and arrange them in the "room" and it keeps track of who is seated and who is not seated. In the end, you can print out a list of everyone's seats! You can also print a layout of the entire "room".

Once I was done with that, I started working on the display seating chart...here's what I came up with!

I left table 27 blank for a reason...we have several people who have changed their minds since RSVPs were due...if they come...they sit there! I have no more patience for people who can't mark their name on something that is already addressed and stamped and put it in the mail on time!

Onle a few more things to do! 11 more days...

Favors are D.O.N.E!

Whoo hoo...my favors are done and packed up to take to the wedding site! After finishing the adults favors I headed to Target to put together the kids' favors. Here's what I ended up with:

Contents (packaged in a green tin can from the dollar bin!):

• mini coloring/sticker book (older kids got a sudoku book and pencil instead of crayons)
• package of 8 crayons
• glow-in-the-dark bracelet
• animal crackers or teddy grahams (sp??)
• fun size skittles and starburst
• box of raisens
• package of crackers filled with peanut butter

I also put together a full size skittles and starburst for 3 older kids who aren't yet 18 as we are giving away lottery tickets to the adults. I tied them all together with a glow bracelet.

And while I was at Target, I couldn't help but put together a "survival" kit for Mr. G.

Contents include:

• white undershirts
• black dress socks
• tide-to-go pen
• gum
• rolaids
• lint roller
• trail mix
• reese's peanut butter cups (his absolute favorite)

Today's agenda includes finishing the seating chart and table numbers. Wish me luck!

Busy Day!

My goodness where does the time go? I woke up this morning and had a little panic attack when I realized I'm under 20 days...so I decided to get right to work. I woke up at 9 and didn't look at the clock until 2:30! 2:30?!?! I didn't eat breakfast...I didn't shower...I was still in my PJs! (Don't worry, I have since taken a shower and eaten...)

Here's my accomplishments for the day!

Step 1: Trace the G onto cardstock and cut out. (The same G that I've been using for everything else)

Step 2: Trace G onto styrofoam. (I purchased a piece from Michael's)

Step 3(not pictured): Use a skewer or chop stick to poke a hole through the top. Fold ribbon of desired length in half and use skewer again to poke all the way through the hole. Tie a not at the bottom so the ribbon won't pull back through the hole.

Step 4 (not pictured): Pull stems of silk carnations off and dip in hot glue. Stick into styrofoam, starting around edges and working your way around. (I bought 100 carnations for $20 from ebay seller roseys_garden)

Step 5: Use scissors to give the flowers a "haircut", especially in between the edges!

Finished product! I LOVE it!

It will hang from the front of our sweetheart table and I can't wait to see it hanging there...in 19 days!

I also started to tackle the seating chart today. What a process...ugh! Martha Stewart's seating tool has been the most helpful, but for some reason it won't save my work as I'm going. I seated everyone but returned (after my shower) to find that it had only saved half my work! Good thing I printed it! Still a work in progress...but...you get the idea!

A few random projects

So I have been plugging away at the projects on my list. Here are the reserved signs for the family chairs. I love the ribbon...makes it look so pretty!

I also made this paper monogram in hopes that I would like it enough to use it instead of a flower covered monogram for our sweetheart table...no such luck. Soo now I have these to use *somewhere*...don't know where yet.

25 more days...

Table Numbers?

OK...ladies out there...I need your opinions! I cannot decide on which table number design to use! I took pictures of both designs with our favors in front of them...which one do you think??

Without the names...

Or with the names?

A Rant and some DIY

I am finally done with school for the summer and what a relief it is to know that, yes, I DO have a job next year! Whoo! Now I can focus on wedding preparations and the countdown that is looming inside my head! 53 more days...

Mr. G is out of town this week so I am left to lounge around (without feeling guilty) and really get a start on the projects that I have been saving for summer vacation.

First I should tell you that our invitations went out exactly one week ago and I have been squeeling to the mailbox every day since then! We already have a stack of RSVP cards returned and I'm so excited! PEOPLE ARE COMING TO MY WEDDING! I have also been quite disappointed in people...don't you know how to fill out the response card? You write your name on the line that looks like this: "M____________________________" How hard is that? Apparently, it's hard for some people...this is my favorite...

If you can't read it, it says "Be there or be Square!!! Love ya...." WTF?!?!? At least it had something on it...we got another one that had nothing on it...just a check mark! Ahh...people...PUT YOUR NAME ON IT FOR GOD'S SAKE!

Ok...rant over...moving on...

My next project to tackle is the timeline. Which, honestly, drives me insane! It changes like every day when I decide that we need more time for this or that. I have come to a rough outline that I feel comfortable handing out to our bridal party...I even made it cute!

One for the girls

One for the boys

And the two together (with my new cute placemats!)

Any tips for timeline? Anything you wish you had left more time for?

Favors galore!

After looking at the calendar and realizing that I need to send out my invitations in about 5 weeks, a shiver of slight panic ran through my body! Eeek! I hit double digits and now I feel like it will be a race to the finish!

So, this weekend I decided to get my booty in gear and get working on some projects. I assembled about 50 invites and ordered my postage. Postage is going up as of May 1st...booo...so I have been holding out on that one.

I also began working on my favors. Mr. G and I decided to do a scratch off lottery ticket in an envelope at each place setting. I created a sticker design using PowerPoint and printed it on full sheet label paper. Using my 2.5" circle punch, I punched out each sticker. Each sticker was then placed on the velum envelope that I ordered from www.blissweddingmarket.com. So far, I have put stickers on 100 of the envelopes. My dad ordered 250 "Diamond Dazzlers" lottery tickets and I should have those soon. I plan to put a shiny penny inside each of the envelopes too so people can actually scratch off their ticket right there.

I also worked on my matches project and was able to get about 30 more match boxes finished. Here is the work in progress!

"Pretty nice little Saturday actually..."

I've been on a roll this afternoon! Mr. G went to the state basketball games that were being played today which gave me all kinds of time to spread my "wedding stuff" all over the living room!

First up...my matches project!

Step one: print my design on our trusty old ink jet

Step two: Cut the rectangles out with my paper cutter

Step three: Run each of the rectangles through my Xyron machine to add permanent sticker backing to them.

Step four: Stick the rectangles carefully to the match boxes and...voila!

Next up...I assembled and addressed 10 of my invites! I know what you're thinking...waaaaay early...I KNOW...but hey this means that I can do 10 at a time and not have to do all 180 of them in one weekend! Yay me!

On another note, we ordered my ring (squeeee!!!) and a new one for Mr. G...long story...here goes...

We had gone last weekend to ShaneCo (my engagement ring is from here) to see about my wedding band and see what they had as far as men's bands go. Mr. G found one in a style that he liked, but it was platinum and he really wanted white gold for better durability. We put the platinum ring on layaway thinking that when we went back to ShaneCo to order my ring we would see if there was something else. Well...fast forward to this past Thursday, I took both Thursday and Friday off this week (mental health days :)) so I was out and about and went into Rogers to look around. They had a ring in the very same style that Mr. G picked out AND it was white gold. It was also a better price. They also had my ring and I asked about their price. The girl told me that it was about $2200 and to that I just said OK, because I knew that ShaneCo had a better price for it. She asked if I wanted to order my ring and I casually said "No thank you"...of course she asked me why and I quietly say that we had found it for a better price. "Well, how much??" she asks..."about $1900" I say..."Hmm...let me see what I can do." She came back and said they would beat the price by $100 and offer it to me for $1800. Woah...OK...umm...I don't really know what to do at this point!! I just came in to look and now I'm feeling like I have to do this right now! Fortunately, I had her put everything in writing for me and told her that I would call my fiance and we would come back later that night to look.

I call Mr. G and he agrees to go back later that night to look. In the meantime, I call ShaneCo to make sure that we can get our deposit for Mr. G's original ring back if he did indeed like the one at Rogers better.

ShaneCo - Yes, of course, but what happenend? Are you not happy with this one or our customer service??

Me - No...we just found something we like better.

ShaneCo - Well what can we do to make you happy?

Me - Umm nothing yet. We just found another ring that he likes better and were wondering if we could get our deposit back! (Yeesh!)

Long story short, ShaneCo ends up beating Rogers' price for my ring and Rogers then proceeds to beat ShaneCo's price again. In the end...we ordered both rings from Rogers AND I got my deposit back from ShaneCo...whew! (Is this what it feels like to be a car salesman??)

I feel like the months are FLYING by...down to 4 1/2 months! Woah!

So productive today!

I am impressed with how productive I have been today! I went out to Target and Michael's to look for some more wedding supplies. I bought a small paper cutter to have here at home for wedding projects. I do have one at school, but it is quite large and I decided I didn't want to cart it back and forth. I also bought some black cardstock and sitcky photo corners to test out my table number designs. More on those later...

The last thing that I did today, was finally iron my tanks that I bought. Sooo cute! I love them!

I plan to work some more on the match boxes, but I need to find more of the boxes somewhere...seriosuly...no one carries these! I have been all over the place looking for them. I think I'll have to try Costco...

Tanks are from Old Navy $5 a piece on sale! The rhinestone iron-ons are from ebay seller zazasonestopbridalshop. I emailed her with the exact iron-ons that I wanted and she gave me a discount for buying as many as I did. I got 9 on them for $41. Sweet!

Matches and projects update!

So I finally got another color ink cartridge for my printer and was excited to get home and finish what I had started with my match boxes. I made a few more designs just to see which I like better and now I can't decide!

Materials:

Microsoft Powerpoint

Xyron sticker machine with permanent adhesive cartridge (I may buy a laminate/adhesive cartridge to try that out too!)

Scissors (I also plan to bring my paper cutter home from school to finish this project.)

Cardstock to print onto

A package of Diamondbrands match boxes

ruler

1. I measured the box carefully and then cut piece of paper to actually see what fit on top of the box.

2. With measurements in hand, I opened powerpoint and created a rectangle with the exact measurements. After creating the rectangle, I played around with fonts, colors, and lines, etc.

3. Once I had my design, I printed it out onto cardstock and cute it carefully. (Like I said before, I will definitely be using my paper cutter instead of scissors for a more exact cut.)

4. I ran each of the cut out rectangles through the sticker machine and attached them to the top of the box.

Voila...the finished product! Should I use just one? Or all 3?

One more project with the sticker machine...

Mr. G and I plan to give out scratch-off lottery tickets as our favors. I have found the envelopes that I will place them in along with a penny for scratching, but I wanted to create a label for the outside of the envelope.

Materials:

Powerpoint

Cardstock (I think I may use regular paper or even a full sheet label paper)

Scrapbook 2.5" circle punch

Xyron Sticker machine (only if I use paper instead of the label paper)

So far...

Here is our ceremony and reception site:

So far we have the big vendors booked...

DJ - Mike Anderson, Creative Memories

Caterer - All Seasons, All Reasons

Florist (only for bouquets and boutonnieres) - Ambience Floral Designs
Photographer - Katie Fretland, Platinum Photography

I am also working on many little projects that I will be doing myself. These include, escort cards, table numbers, guestbook, centerpieces, and more to come...

Centerpiece ideas...will be white, green and deep pink instead of the blue flowers.

Picture from Jill and Shane: An Beach Wedding in Half Moon Bay, CA - the knot real weddings.

Painted initials for the guestbook table. (The color looks different in the picture!)

Escort cards will look something like this, but in green, pink and black. They will be pinned on a ribbon that hangs in between 2 columns. (More on these when I actually get them put together)

Picture from knottie Tdiddy